Zoning, building permits and septic rules in Potlatch, Idaho

Potlatch’s own rules

• Local zoningPresent

  Land inside the incorporated limits of Potlatch city

  • The chapter cites Ord. 426 dated 7-8-2002 as its source; confirm the current ordinance version against the city's current code.
  • Only Chapter 3 was opened; the full current Title 9 was not located on an official page that loaded.

  “every lot or parcel of land, or portion thereof, within the incorporated city shall be classified in only one of the base zoning districts established in this section.”

• Zoning districtsPublished

  Land inside Potlatch city: AF agriculture/forestry, R-1 and R-2 residential, C-1 and C-2 commercial, I-1 industrial base districts

  • Zoning map is referenced by the city but was not opened; district boundaries are not confirmed here.

  “the following base zoning districts are hereby established”

• Minimum dwelling sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Potlatch city AF and R-1 districts (Table 2-B)

  • Column mapping inferred from a garbled table header; confirm the 980 figure against the official Table 2-B.
  • Section 9-3-3(e) states that minimum dwelling sizes are summarized in Table 2-B.

  minimum floor area per dwelling unit, AF and R-1 districts: >= 980 square feet

  “af 35 35 135 135 980 25 43,650 r-1 25 20 60 100 980 40 6,500”

• Minimum lot sizeDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Potlatch city AF agriculture/forestry district and R-1 single-family residential district (Table 2-B, section 9-3-12)

  • The column headings of Table 2-B are not legible in the text extraction; the lot-area values were matched to the last numeric column of each row and must be confirmed against the official table.
  • R-2 multi-family row reads 6,500 plus 3,500 for each additional dwelling unit; not separately claimed here.

  minimum lot area, AF district: 43650 square feet · minimum lot area, R-1 district: 6500 square feet

  “af 35 35 135 135 980 25 43,650 r-1 25 20 60 100 980 40 6,500”

• SetbacksDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Agricultural buildings (pens, coops, hutches, stables, barns, agricultural shop buildings) in the Potlatch city AF agriculture/forestry district

  • Stated in section 9-3-3(f)(1) of the AF district rules.

  agricultural building setback from public right-of-way line: >= 75 feet · agricultural building setback from side or rear property line: >= 25 feet · agricultural building setback from other zoning district boundary: >= 50 feet

  “agricultural building setbacks: pens, coops, hutches, stables, barns and other agricultural shop buildings shall be at least seventy five feet (75'} away from any property line adjacent to public rights of way, twenty five feet (25'} from side or rear property lines, and at least fifty feet (50') from any other zoning district boundary.”

  One more reviewed finding on this topic

  • District specific (with conditions) — Industrial 1-1 district where adjacent to a residential use or district

    “when an industrial use is adjacent to a residential use or district, a 20 foot landscaped setback is required that effectively screens and separates uses.”

• Building heightDistrict specific (with conditions)

  Potlatch city AF and R-1 districts (Table 2-B)

  • Column headings garbled; the first numeric column is read as maximum height in feet, which must be confirmed against the official table.
  • Table note: heights are measured from the top of the foundation on the street (main entrance) side of the structure to the highest point on the house except the chimney.

  maximum building height, AF district: <= 35 feet · maximum building height, R-1 district: <= 25 feet

  “af 35 35 135 135 980 25 43,650 r-1 25 20 60 100 980 40 6,500”

• Accessory dwellingsLimited

  Accessory dwelling units in the Potlatch city AF agriculture/forestry district

  • Permitted only with a conditional use permit subject to listed restrictions; the restrictions were not fully read.
  • Section 9-3-4 (R-1) contains similar accessory dwelling wording that was not fully read.

  “accessory dwelling units (see chapter 2, "definitions", of this title, for the definition) are permitted with a conditional use permit subject to the following restrictions:”

Still unanswered

We looked and could not find an official answer yet. Silence is not permission; ask Potlatch or Latah County directly.

• Building permit — New construction inside Potlatch city
• Owner-builder exemption — Owner-builder construction inside Potlatch city
• Building code adopted — Building code in Potlatch city
• Inspections — Inspections for construction inside Potlatch city
• Certificate of occupancy — Occupancy of new buildings inside Potlatch city

Each answer was extracted from an official source and independently re-checked against that source by a second reviewer. That is an evidence check, not legal advice. Rules change; confirm with the authority before you buy or build.